Learning is lifelong. I remember when I graduated from the Sport Event Management diploma and started applying for jobs as a 20-year-old. I was very naïve. I thought I had learned everything I needed to know and was astounded when I wasn’t considered for every job I had applied for. The truth is, I didn’t have much practical experience that one can only get from experiential learning. The more experience I gain, the more I realize how little I really know.
I am very grateful to work in an environment that supports the continuous education of its employees. I currently sit on the Employee Engagement Steering Committee and on the Emerging Leader’s subcommittee. This has given me valuable insight on how to increase engagement in members of a community. I’ve learned that to increase engagement, stakeholders must feel invested. This relates directly to my role in Alumni Relations. A goal of our department is to increase alumni engagement. We have seen an incredible increase in engagement at in-person events. The increase in quantity of food ordered between the 2018 and 2019 (9.1) Charter Breakfast can attest to this.
An initiative that came from the employee engagement steering committee is the TRU Connections Mentoring Program (9.2). I had the opportunity to be a part of pilot group as a mentee. My mentor was a director of development in my department. I met with her once a month for breakfast to learn more about the fundraising side of our department. This proved to be very beneficial as a deeper understanding of our department has brought our team closer together. During the career mentoring program, I was also in a role as Events Coordinator. The Distinguished Alumni Awards event was in my portfolio. One of our distinguished alumni award recipients was a prospect for my mentor. I had the opportunity to work on this event with my mentor and learn through the lens from an alumni relations, events and director of development view. This was a transformational experience in my career because I experienced how the various areas within our department can work together to become more succinct.
This experience also taught me more about myself. I enjoyed learning about another area of our department but I was very excited to return to my role in Alumni Relations. I found it difficult to remain as engaged in the Event Coordinator role. I learned that I feel more empowered when I am “in the trenches” and my work is making a difference. My responsibilities in the Event Coordinator role was to create events to celebrate the success of the advancement office’s fundraising efforts. My role in Alumni Relations has a more direct route to helping students and alumni succeed by facilitating mentorship and networking opportunities.
I believe that we can learn something from everyone we meet. In the summer, I when I lead the youth, I have many opportunities to learn from those on site. In 2018 one of the youth in my program identified as transgender. I had never had a strong opinion about Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex and A-Sexual (LGBTQIA) rights. I believed that everyone should have equal rights but wasn’t an actively advocating for them. This youth shared some of their story with me and I learned the importance of sharing our voices, especially for those who are marginalized.
In the Leadership Experience Adventure Program (LEAP) we bring in other course leaders to do workshops with the youth. I have had the pleasure of learning about water colour technique and St. Benedict’s rule of life. I find each summer my most valuable teachers are the youth I spend time with. The youth I work with are passionate about the world they live in and how it not only effects their future but the future of those around them. Their passion inspires me to be actively engaged in my learning about current events, the political climate, current pop culture and the importance of authenticity so that I too can work towards creating a better future for our society.
I am a perpetual yoga student. I continuously grow more curious the more I learn about yoga. In my teacher training I learned basic Sanskrit, geography, history and eastern philosophy as it relates to yoga. I am fascinated by the history of yoga. I am especially interested in the role various philosophies and religions had in bringing it to modern civilization. I continue to learn more through workshops, documentaries and books. I created an annotated bibliography (3.2) of resources I have used to learn more about my practice.